Neighbourhood news from around Craven

Women’s Institute: Pat Ashcroft was the guest speaker at this month’s meeting of the Austwick WI. She gave an amusing account of her charity trip to Iceland to raise money for Mencap. She entertained members and guests with her stories and mementoes. Next month’s meeting on April 9 is a talk by Julie Ashworth about Hearing Dogs.

Afternoon Fellowship: Austwick Afternoon Church Fellowship will meet in Austwick Parish Hall on Wednesday from 1.30pm to 3pm. The speaker is Colin Etherington and his talk is entitled What To Do With Wood.

Church news: Holy Communion will be held at Austwick Church at 9.30am on Sunday and every Wednesday at 10.30am. Each Wednesday during Lent there will be a special service offering the opportunity to study together in one of the churches. This Wednesday, it is at Eldroth at 7.30pm.

Barnoldswick St Andrew’s: Following on from the fun and excitement of its Frozen and Moses Messy Church events, St Andrew’s Methodist Church is hosting a Messy Easter celebration on Saturday from 3pm to 5pm. Activities will include an Easter egg hunt, crafts, games and a Veggie Tales movie - An Easter Carol. Children must be accompanied by an adult and the day will finish with a meal together. There is no charge, but donations are welcome to cover costs.

Bolton Abbey Priory Church: The first service on Sunday is 8am Communion (said). It will be followed at 10.30am by a Sung Eucharist, at which guest preacher will be the Rt Rev Tim Ellis, formerly Bishop of Grantham and now an honorary Assistant Bishop in the Dioceses of Sheffield and Lincoln. There will not be an Evening Prayer service at 4.30pm as the church is holding the second St Cuthbert Lecture, Building Bolton, at 3pm. This will be given by Professor Richard Morris. Each Wednesday there is a communion service at 10am. All services are BCP.

Concert series: A schedule for the Priory Concert series is available from 01756 710586.

Bradley Liz Zieboll, 01535 636369 Litter pick: As part of Community Clear Up Day on Saturday, there will be a litter pick around Bradley. Volunteers should meet at the village hall at 10am.

Brownies: Bradley Brownies are looking for new leaders. This is a great opportunity to help a keen group of Brownies and have lots of fun. Full training and support will be given. Further information is available from Jill on 07749 108387.

Rainbows: Rainbows have moved to the new time of 4.30pm to 5.30pm on Fridays. If any parents/girls would like to join see girlguiding.org.uk, click on Parents tab and register your daughter. For more information, email kallykaur@hotmail.com.

School news: Children and staff supported Red Nose Day by dressing in red and raised £305 for Comic Relief. Class five enjoyed a visit to Manchester Museum of Science and Industry. Class four won last week’s Walk to School, with 96 per cent of pupils either walking or parking and striding to school.

Yoga: Sue Hartley runs a yoga class in the village hall on Tuesdays from 7.15pm to 8.15pm and Ann Berry has a Friday session from 10am to 11.15am. The cost is £5 per class and participants are asked to bring a yoga/exercise mat if possible. For information, contact Sue on 01535 631897 or Ann on 01756 791796.

Pub quiz: The Slaters Arms will hold its next quiz night on Wednesday.

Chapel-le-Dale Domino drive: A domino drive was held on Sunday, March 8, at The Hill Inn, which was enjoyed by 29 players. This was the last of six winter events, organised by the Ladies’ Events Committee, which wishes to thank everyone for their support. More than £600 was raised which will be donated to Chapel-le-Dale Church, the North West Air Ambulance and a small amount to Ingleton Splash Zone and Settle Pool. Dominoes winners were K Humphery, C Middleton, D Handley, J Hodkinson, A Atkinson, B Mason, A Bargh and R Mitton. The booby prize went to G Atkinson.

Clapham Rory-Joe Daniels, 015242 51135 Parish get-together: The annual parish meeting will take place on Tuesday at 7.30pm in Clapham Village Hall. The meeting is organised by the parish council and is an opportunity to find out about the wide range of projects being run by community groups in the parish. It also gives an insight into the work of the council. For more information, contact the parish clerk, Gillian Muir, on 015242 51775 or email claphamclerk@btinternet.com.

Give and Take: Don’t forget Clapham Waste Reduction Group’s give and take event in Clapham Village Hall on Saturday between 10am and noon. There will be an entrance fee of 50p with children admitted free. A descriptive leaflet about which items can be accepted has been distributed locally and you can drop items off at the village hall tomorrow between 6pm and 7pm. For more information, contact Jill Buckler on 51030 or Ann Stewart on 51118.

Coniston Cold Church news: On Sunday, St Peter’s Church will hold an Evensong at 4pm.

Young Farmers: Last Tuesday, 40 members and the advisory committee of Coniston Cold Young Farmers travelled to Clitheroe for a visit to Dugdale Nutrition. The members were given a tour of the mill and new blending shed and given an insight into animal feed manufacture. A short business meeting was held after which Tom Saxby thanked sales manager Peter Wormleighton and his team.

Cononley Joan Nicholson, 01535 630872 Spring fair: Everyone is welcome to the spring fair at Cononley School on Saturday from 10am to noon. Attractions include bouncy castles, refreshments, cake stall, face painting, Easter craft activities, variety of children’s games, outdoor races, welly throwing competitions, penalty shoot out, second hand book and toy stalls and a variety of good quality gifts and crafts for sale. The money raised will go towards a new outdoor structure for the playing field and refurbishing the early years playground.

Jaywalkers: The Jaywalkers’ next production is A Month of Sundays, a gentle comedy, which will be staged at Cononley Village Institute on Friday, May 8. If you want to book tickets, email jandjnicholson@gmail.com or ring Joan on 630872.

Pop-up restaurant: Another pop-up restaurant will be held in Cononley Institute on Saturday. Please apply to the Post Office if there are any tickets left. This time, it is being held to raise funds for St John’s Church’s refurbishment.

St John’s: On Sunday, there is a shortened service of morning prayer at 11am to be followed by the annual meeting, and at 12.30pm, by the baptism of Edward Swann. The Diocesan Synod takes place on Saturday in Harrogate. Next Sunday, March 29, the Cononley Singers will lead readings and music for Palm Sunday at 3pm. No tickets are required. There will be refreshments and a retiring collection.

Draughton Jane Markham, 01756 711305 St Augustine’s Church: There will be a morning prayer service with hymns at the church on Sunday, starting at 9.30am.

Earby David Hartley, 01282 842617 Churches Together: The final Lenten meeting will be on Tuesday at 7.15pm for 7.30pm at Mount Zion Church. All the churches in the fellowship have been planning and leading the session. All are welcome to attend this “stand alone” evening.

Earby Gardeners: The society’s 28th spring bulb show will take place on Saturday from 11am to 1pm in the New Road Community Centre. Soup and sandwiches will be available and anyone wishing to enter bulbs, plants, cut flowers or photographs can obtain a schedule from Dorothy Bullock on 01282 842134. Organisers hope to attract new exhibitors and welcome the public to view the colourful exhibits and have lunch.

Eldroth Parish Hall: Easter bingo will be held in the parish hall on Monday, March 30, starting at 7.30pm. This is a family event and there will be lots of Easter eggs to be won. Light refreshments will be served.

Prize draw: Subscriptions are now due for the prize draw for 2015/2016. For further information, call Kath Middleton on 015242 51035.

Embsay-with-Eastby Andrew Wilson, 01756 790197 Drop-in surgery: PCSO Ruth Pearson’s next drop-in surgery in Embsay Village Hall will take place tonight between 6pm and 7pm.

Live music: On Saturday, Embsay-with-Eastby Pre-School Playgroup’s next fundraising venture will be held in the village hall. Called Oh What A Night, it will feature live music by Rebecca Joy and the Badger Catapult Cabaret. Pre-booked tickets are £7.50 each or £8 at the door and this includes supper. There will be a bar featuring Dark Horse Brewery beers. Tickets are available from the Paper Shop on Shires Lane or from the pre-school in the village hall.

Embsay churches: On Sunday, the Methodist Chapel’s morning service at 10.30am will be led by Glennis Hobbs while the 9.30am service at St Mary’s will be a parish communion. The Methodist Chapel is open every Monday from 2pm to 3.30pm for anyone seeking a time of peace and quiet. On Tuesday at 10.30am St Mary’s will hold a communion service and between 2pm and 4pm the church will be open for tea, coffee and home baking. Smiley Faces - a toddlers praise - takes place on Fridays from 1.45pm to 3.15pm. On Wednesday, at the Methodist church at 7.15pm, the last meeting of the Lent Group will discuss Faith in Our Voice.

Parish council: Members were informed that there may now be a sufficient number of candidates to avoid an inquorate parish council after the May elections, although the precise number is unknown. Continuing members of the parish council and/or potential councillors are being encouraged to take an active role in various important transitional activities. Members considered a report from the chairman of the council on action taken to recruit and appoint a new parish clerk to take over when the current clerk retires at the end of April. Four candidates were interviewed by a special appointment panel and an appointment made, subject to references. Members considered a Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority planning application for the erection of a SCAD charity community centre for transport and administration at Wood View, Embsay. A number of concerns were raised by a large number of local residents who attended the meeting. Members registered a formal objection to the application and expressed concerns about the loss of an important open space within a conservation area, inappropriate design and materials used, unacceptable road traffic access and increased noise and disturbances to residents. It was agreed that the concerns of residents should be incorporated into the final submission to the national park authority together with the professional views of the parish council’s planning consultant. Fundraising activities to help finance the installation of a generic memorial plaque at the Embsay War Memorial are continuing. Several village maintenance and road safety matters were considered including the East Lane traffic survey data (recently compiled by North Yorkshire County Council), the heavy traffic on Brackenley Lane, approval of a competitive quotation for this year’s grass cutting contract and increasing dog litter along West Lane.

Over 50s Forum: The next forum will be held in the village hall next Thursday, March 26, when the Rev Peter Thomas will talk about about his own work in Sharing and Connecting with Others. The meeting will begin at 2pm with tea and scones, followed by the talk at about 2.30pm. If anyone would like a lift to the village hall, please ring Wilf on 793308 or Shelagh on 794861 the day before. This will be the last meeting of the season.

Village Show: This year’s Village Show, organised by the Gardening Club, will be held on Saturday, September 5. So now is the time to start planning your entries. The photographic categories will be Sunshine and Showers, Springtime and Gardening.

Community library: Monday will be the penultimate Monday opening of the library. From April, the opening days will be confined to Thursday and Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings.

Clean-up: Embsay-with-Eastby will hold a community clean-up day on Saturday. If you are interested in making the environment in and around Embsay cleaner meet at 10am in the car park opposite the village hall. Litter pickers and bags will be provided. Wear old clothes and bring some gloves. If you are not able to join the volunteers, please clean up any litter when you are out walking. For more information, ring 01756 794924.

Farnhill and Kildwick Joyce Wood, 01535 635880 St Andrew’s: On Sunday there will be a service of Holy Communion at 8.15am in the parish rooms and at 10am in the church. On Wednesday there will be a service of Holy Communion at 9.30am in the parish rooms. Every Friday during Lent, there will be a service of Stations of the Cross at 12.30pm in the church.

Farnhill Methodists: The coffee morning, held on Saturday, raised £134 for church funds and £34 for the Gambia Schools Trust.

Village Pump: The Village Pump - the over 50s group - will meet in the lower hall at Farnhill Methodist Church on Wednesday from 2pm to 3.30pm. Visitors and new members are welcome.

Institute talk: Paul Haywood will give a talk at the Kildwick and Farnhill Institute next Friday, March 27, at 7.30pm. The talk is entitled Points, Curves and Twiddly Bits – an illustrated look at building styles. Entry is £5. Alcoholic drinks will be available for a donation.

Gargrave Sally Jennings, 01756 748098 Heritage tribute: Gargrave Heritage Group will present a night to remember at St Andrew’s Church tomorrow from 7.30pm. The evening will be a tribute to the late Dennis French with a glimpse into his vast collection of images of the village and village life. Admission is £5 which will include tea and biscuits.

Book fair: North West Books will hold its first book fair of the year at Gargrave Village Hall between 10am and 4pm on Saturday. For a nominal entry fee, there will be hundreds of books on offer by the various stalls and refreshments will be available throughout the day.

St Andrew’s Church: On Sunday, the church will hold a BCP Holy Communion at 8am and a Sung Eucharist at 10.45am.

Bingo: The next session will take place in the village hall annexe from 7.30pm on Wednesday.

Easter bingo: Neville House will host an Easter bingo session next Thursday, March 26. The doors will open at 6.30pm with the session commencing at 7pm. Admission is £2 which will include refreshments and there will also be a raffle. All proceeds will be donated to the amenities fund.

Giggleswick Gill O’Donnell, 01729 825639 Primary school: Congratulations go to all participants in Friday’s Johnny Walker Tag Rugby festival for their sporting behaviour. The morning workshops were well organised and 19 pupils benefited greatly from the expert coaching from visiting RFU and North Ribblesdale members. In the afternoon, the remaining key stage two pupils took part in the competitive festival, supported by students from Settle College, as well as visiting RFU and North Ribblesdale members and attended by members of Johnny Walker’s family. The school is once again grateful to Settle Primary and Giggleswick School for organising the events. All pupils played well in their teams, with some stunning performances. Special congratulations go to Jimmy Howarth, who was recently chosen to represent North Craven and then swam in the recent Craven Swimming Gala. Well done to everyone who completed the poem-learning challenge on World Book Day. By Monday, 56 pupils had learnt and were able to recite from memory one, or a verse from one, of the poems. The aim is for every pupil to achieve this challenge. All pupils have benefited from another visit from musicians organised and subsidised through North Yorkshire Youth Music Action Zone and funded by school funds. This time the focus was on jazz-style improvisation. Year four pupil Dylan Sampson has given up his bed for Lent and is sleeping in a cardboard box. If you would like to support him, please donate at justgiving.com/csjackinabox or hand in a donation at school. He is raising money for the Children’s Society. There will be a family bingo and chocolate tombola at 6pm tomorrow. In return for a chocolate donation for the tombola, pupils are welcome to wear clothes of their own choice to school tomorrow. Looking ahead the Friends of Giggleswick Primary School are planning a race night on Saturday, May 9, at Settle Social Club. This will be a joint fundraising event with Freda’s Community Playgroup and Pre-School. They would be grateful for help in getting business sponsors (£10 a race), raffle prizes or volunteer jockeys. Please contact the school office if you can help.

Parish council: The council was updated on the progress of the number of village issues discussed at the previous meeting, including the alleged state of disrepair of one of the footbridges over Tems Beck and the drainage issues. The trustees of the Giggleswick Charities decided to invite the council to organise its annual tea party on May 16 at 2.45pm in Giggleswick Primary School and to organise a wine and cheese evening event on September 5. Invitees to both events are the senior parishioners of Giggleswick. The next meeting will be held on April 14 at 7.30pm in the parish room.

Grassington Sheila Denby, 01756 752605 Lent lunch: On Wednesday, all the churches in Upper Wharfedale will join forces to host the Lent Lunch in Church House at midday. All proceeds will go to Christian Aid.

Friendship Club: Today, a coach trip to Harrogate or Ripon has been arranged for members and friends of the Grassington Friendship Club. Ken Robinson, of Threshfield, will address the meeting in Church House next Thursday, March 26, from 2.15pm, on the Fell Rescue Association.

Garden talk: Philip Dunnett, who runs Ribblesdale Nurseries, will pay a return visit to Grassington and District Horticultural Society next Thursday, March 26. He will talk on Spring is in the Air at the Octagon Theatre from 7.30pm.

Fire cadets: Grassington Fire Cadets meet every Monday, between 7pm and 9pm, during term time, to learn about the fire service. Those attending could gain a BTEC qualification. Anyone aged between 13 and 17 may attend. For more information, contact Jonny on 07798 561092.

Casino night: The Foresters Arms is holding a casino night on Saturday from 8.30pm. A prize will be presented to the player with most chips at the end. Tickets cost £10.

Jumble sale: A jumble sale, cake stall and tombola will be held at Wharfedale Rugby Club next Thursday, March 26, from 7pm to 9.30pm. Bar facilities will be available. Proceeds will go to Lucy Wells’ appeal to assist midwives in Tanzania. She can be contacted on 07901 992962.

Hellifield Ken Leak, 01729 850845 Flower Club:At the March meeting of the North Craven Flower Club, Kathleen Williams gave a demonstration entitled Brown Paper Packages Tied up with String. It was a group of arrangements based around the Sound of Music, with the added touch of a hint of spring. The next demonstration is on April 9, when Elaine Bedford will present Incredible India. And, on Saturday, April 11, there will be a coffee morning in the institute from 10am to noon. There will be a plant stall, cakes/produce, tombola and raffle. For further details, contact Frances on 01729 822558.

Women’s Institute: The WI will meet in the institute tonight from 7.15pm. Chrissy Blakely, of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, will talk about Resuscitation. The competition will be Anything Medical. The WI welcomes new members and friends.

Coffee morning: The coffee morning in the institute on Saturday will be in support of the Methodists. It will start at 10am and will include a raffle, cake stall and refreshments.Age Concern: Please contact Ellen on 850864 if you would like to join Age Concern Luncheon Club at the Boars Head Hotel, Long Preston. Ellen would like to know the numbers wishing to attend by the Wednesday morning prior to the Friday gathering. The cost of the two-course meal is £6. Coffee and tea will be served at 11.15am prior to the meal at noon. Age Concern also organises shopping trips to Morrisons in Skipton each third Tuesday, departing Hellifield at 9.30am. There are also outings every fourth Wednesday of each month. For details, call Mavis on 850828.

Horton-in-Ribblesdale Caroline Thompson, 01756 749235 AGM change: Due to unforeseen circumstances the annual general meeting of the village hall committee will now take place on Wednesday, April 1, at 7.30pm and not March 25 as originally planned.

St Oswald’s Church: St Oswald’s will hold a service of common worship and laying on of hands on Sunday at 10.30am.

Whist drive: A whist drive was held at the Golden Lion. Winners were: ladies - R Pearson, M Wellock, J Welch and M Davis; gents - V Jones (sub), M Davis, H Jackson and A Humphrey (sub). The next whist drive will be held on Tuesday, April 14, at 7.30pm. Everyone is welcome.

Gun Club: Members of Penyghent Gun Club met at High Birkwith Farm. R Carr was the winner with 23 kills, R Bold was second with 21 kills and third was S Bamber with 17 kills. A ten-bird pool shoot was won by R Carr. The next members’ shoot will be at Horton Quarry on April 12 at 1pm.

Ingleton Sue Brown, 015242 41835 Women’s Institute: Ingleborough WI president Sue Brown welcomed 85 members and friends to the institute’s 93rd birthday. After singing Jerusalem, accompanied by Dorothy Baines on the keyboard, a buffet was enjoyed. Joanne Halliwell as Gertie Bucket - Wise Woman, entertained with her old wives’ tales and folklore. The speaker for April is Pat Ashcroft with her talk on Iceland. The competition is for a small soft toy.

Kelbrook St Mary’s: There will be a communion service on Sunday at 11am.

Langcliffe Helen Jarvis, 01729 825303 Tea dance: An afternoon tea circle dance will be held at Langcliffe Institute on Saturday from 2pm. Anne-Lise Kryger will lead the workshop. The event is suitable for beginners and no partner is needed. The cost is £13. To reserve a place, ring Pat Smith 01729 823342 or Gillian Walton 01729 822781.

Long Preston Heather Thomas-Smith, 01729 840113 Eggs and coffee: An Easter egg hunt and coffee morning will be held at the village hall on Easter Monday, April 6. It will run from 10am to 2pm. Home-made cakes and bacon sandwiches will be available. The hunt for eggs will take place around Long Preston. Pick up a map in the village hall. Proceeds will go to Long Preston Playgroup.

Coffee morning: A coffee morning will take place in the village hall at 10am on Saturday, with hot cross buns, raffle and novelties. Proceeds will go to the Over 70s Group.

Women’s Institute: Long Preston WI will meet in the village hall at 7.30pm on Wednesday, April 8, when Sue Rogers will give a talk, Creating a Second Life. The competition is for Flowers in a Teacup.

Lothersdale Young Farmers: Members judged breeding sheep at E Fort’s farm in Silsden. The results were: junior girls - 1 Becky Pickles, 2 Molly Peek, 3 Helen Barroclough; junior boys - 1 Daniel Dobson, 2 Tom Barroclough, 3 Robert Lee; intermediate girls - 1 Kelly Maltby, 2 Katie Summers; intermediate boys - 1 Dan Leeming, 2 James Mellin, 3 Edward Berry; senior girls - 1 Georgia Fort, 2 Daisy Hammond, 3 Lucy Hall; senior boys - 1 Matt Airey, 2 Luke Mellin, 3 Richard Horsfield. Next week’s meeting will be fat lamb judging.

Rathmell Elaine Illingworth, 01729 840087 Thursday Club: Members from the Rathmell Thursday Club will be sharing cars today to go out for lunch to the Boars Head, Long Preston. Meet at noon for 12.30pm.

Musical evening: The first performance of the 2015 tour by howdenjones got off to a rousing start in Rathmell Reading Room on Friday. Kate Howden and Paul Jones were joined by Iona Lane from Keasden singing and playing the guitar, and Andy whose skilled fiddle playing added much to the musical experience. Howdenjones are performing again in Langcliffe Village Institute next Friday, March 27. One raffle prize is unclaimed. It is Pink 93 and the holder is asked to ring 01729 840451.

Weekly zumba: Zumba continues in the Reading Room every Monday from 7.30pm.

Young Farmers: Members met at the primary school for zumba with Geraldine Rushton. A vote of thanks was given by Liam Halliday. Members also enjoyed an evening of indoors bowls with Tosside Bowling Group. They were thanked by Tom Dean.

Salterforth Women’s Institute: Janette Pate welcomed members to the annual general meeting. She thanked the committee for its support and gave special thanks to retiring member Netta Lambert, who has been on the committee for 25 years. Marie Potter read out the financial report and Eloise Sunley gave a summary of activities over the past year. Mrs Pate was re-elected president and the other officers will remain the same. A silent auction followed, with the proceeds going to Prostate Cancer. The next meeting will be held in the village hall at 7.30pm on April 9 when the talk will be entitled Through the Eyes of a Magician and the competition will be to design a playing card.

Settle Gill O’Donnell, 01729 825639 Guided walk: A guided walk from Settle Station has been arranged for Saturday. Leaving Settle at 9.50am, this is a moderately strenuous 12-mile circular walk taking in Catrigg Force and Smearsett Scar. No reservation is necessary but all participants should ensure that they are appropriately clothed and carry a packed lunch. For further details contact walksinfo@settle-carlisle.com.

Kwezana link: Pupils in Settle went on a walk around the Ribblehead Viaduct where they learned about life for those building the railway. They then wrote poems about the site when they returned to school and shared a number of these with friends in Kwezana.

Victoria Hall: There is a musical treat in store tomorrow when A Brief History of Music is staged featuring two musicians, covering 600 years and lasting just 90 minutes. On Saturday, the annual RamJam concert will take place when young musicians from the area are joined by the more mature DalesJam for an evening of jazz surprises conducted by Richard Omerod. The junior section of Settle Amateur Operatic Society will take to the stage next Thursday and Friday, March 26 and 27, for its production of The Wizard of Oz. Next Saturday, March 28, there will be a Pop Factor concert tribute, celebrating big chart hits. For tickets, contact 01729 825718.

Swimming Pool: A new drop-in session operates on Fridays at the pool between 10.15am and 11.45am. Splashing Tots is aimed at parents and carers with pre-school children. Entry is the normal adult price of £4.50 and each adult is entitled to bring two under fours for free. Entry includes a swim and drink.

Barn dance: Tomorrow, from 7pm, there will be a barn dance at St Mary and St Michael Church Hall. Tickets cost £7 for adults and £1 for children and the price includes supper. For more details, ring 01729 822311. All profits will go to a charity supporting street children in Tanzania.

Big Breakfast: The next big breakfast will take place on Saturday at 8.30am at St Mary and St Michael Church Hall. The speaker will be Steve Amphlett from Vibrant Settle - the community partnership behind the Settle Flowerpot Festival. He is also a founding director of Settle Hydro. To book, contact 01729 825285 by the end of today.

Settle Orchestra: The orchestra’s spring concerts will take place on Saturday at the Richard Whiteley Theatre, Giggleswick School, at 7.30pm and next Saturday, March 28, at Ermysted’s Grammar School, Skipton, also at 7.30pm. The orchestra will be joined by piano soloist Philip Sharp. The programme will feature Mozart’s Overture to the Magic Flute, Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No 1 and Mozart’s symphony No 40. Tickets are available from Cave and Crag, Settle, High Bentham Post Office, Settle Music, Skipton Camera Centre, by emailing sarah.glossop@btinternet.com or by phoning 01729 825806.

Folk club: A warm welcome, good beer and good music await at Three Peaks Folk Club, which will meet at Settle Social Club on Saturday from 9pm. As well as the regular floor singers, the evening will feature guests, Plumhall - Michelle Plum and Nick Hall. Admission is £6.

Gardening Club: Settle and District Gardening Club will meet on Wednesday at 2pm at Townhead Court when the speaker will be Jacki Iddon on the topic of Fabulous Flowers and Fantastic Foliage. Admission is £3 for non-members.

Table top sale: Next Saturday, March 28, from 10am to 3pm, there will be a grand table top sale at Settle Parish Church. Contact 01729 822848 to book a table for £6. Homemade refreshments will be available.

Quiz night: A quiz night will be held at Settle Rugby Club on April 24 with local quizmaster Stuart Marshall. The cost is £5, including supper. There will also be a raffle. For more information, contact 015242 51488.

Young Farmers: Congratulations go to all members who represented Yorkshire in the Northern Area Young Farmers Public Speaking Finals at Hexham. In the junior public speaking, Paddy Capstick, Ellie Saxby and Anna Booth were third overall and Jonathan Booth, Charlotte Booth and Jessica Sowerbutts, fourth overall. Paddy was awarded first prize as best speaker, Jonathan first prize as best chairman and Ellie third as vote of thanks. The junior reading team of Anna Booth, Jessica Sowerbutts and Charlotte Mellin were sixth and Anna Booth was third as junior member of the year.

Silsden Linda Berry, 01535 654643 Camera Club: Silsden Camera Club was held in St James’ Church Hall last Wednesday when the competition was movement/motion and the judge was Stuart Parker from Ilkley. The results were: 1 Anne Bland, 2 and 3 Neil Bland. The club sent its condolences to Mary and family of the late John Barker, who was a member of the club for many years and will be missed by all. The next meeting - a members evening - will be on Wednesday. Bring a photo, either digital or print, for discussion.

Local history: Dialect will be the subject of Monday’s meeting of Silsden Local History Group, with doors opening at 7pm at the Methodist Church for refreshments before the talk at 7.20pm. The speaker will be Eric Scaife, of the Yorkshire Dialect Society, who will discuss the origins and heritage of regional language. Members have also been collecting words apparently unique to Silsden but now in danger of being lost. All are welcome at the meeting. The following afternoon, the group holds its monthly drop-in session at the Town Hall between 2pm and 4pm where there is opportunity to investigate the growing history archive.

Young Farmers: Last week, Silsden with Skipton YFC met at Dales Dairies in Grassington for an enjoyable tour followed by a supper at The Foresters Arms. This Monday, a district rally forms night will be held at Draughton Village Hall at 7.30pm.

Skipton International Club: Jamie Ewan will be guest speaker when the International Club meets on Tuesday at 7.30pm in the Soroptimists Rooms, Otley Street. The title of his talk is Aviation Photography. Visitors are welcome.

Craven Speakers Club: The sixth meeting of the year started with a speech by Judith Allinson which demonstrated the art of impromptu speaking. This was followed by an informative speech titled Calling Time by Jan Miller which documented the decline of British pubs. A lively topics session rounded off the evening where members were asked to imagine they were tour guides at a range of local attractions and were tasked with selling the attraction to the audience. The next meeting is on Monday at 7.45pm at the Soroptimists’ Rooms on Otley Street. Visitors are welcome.

Camera Club: Stuart James from Trawden entertained members with a descriptive account of his trip to the Himalayas to act as a marshal for the bi-annual marathon. He travelled with a local team and getting there was an adventure in itself. He incorporated plenty of pictures of the local people and scenery.

Music quiz: Frank’s Music Quiz will be held in the Concert Room at the White Rose Club, Skipton on Saturday from 8.30pm. There is free admission. A raffle, jumping jack and bingo will complement the evening.

Oddfellows: Tim will present his music game from 8pm next Saturday, March 28. Tax your memory to name the artist, song and year and win prizes. The next fish and chip bingo session will be held from noon on Tuesday, April 7. For more information, contact the secretary on 01756 798022.

Naturalists: An illustrated talk on bats was given to the Craven Naturalists and Scientific Association last Monday by Cassie Bailey from the National Trust. She described all the species found in this country with their features, including the frequency at which calls are made. This could be determined by the use of a bat detector. The next meeting, which is also the last in the present winter session, is the annual general meeting and a talk on Japan. It will take place in the Swadford Centre on Monday at 7.30pm and visitors are welcome. For details, contact 01535 642180.

Italian Circle: Skipton Italian Circle will celebrate its first meeting of the 2015 season on Thursday, March 26, at 7pm at the Soroptimist Rooms, Otley Street, with a talk of Shakespeare’s Italy by Christine Henderson. It will start promptly at 7.30pm and be followed by the annual general meeting. There will be no conversazione groups, but tea, coffee and a glass of wine will be available. Admission is free for members and £5 for visitors. Those who wish to join or rejoin the circle can do so; please bring your membership fees of £15. For further information, visit skiptonitaliancircle.org Holy Trinity: The choir will lead a service of Choral Evensong for Passiontide at Holy Trinity Church – at the top of the High Street – on Sunday at 5pm. There will be a performance of The Passion: A Contemporary Journey to the Cross - a sequence of sonnets by Malcolm Guite, with music. The officiant will be the rector, the Rev Veronica James. Everyone is welcome at this or earlier services that day, 8am Holy Communion and Parish Communion at 9.45am, also led by the rector. The Lent trail, God through the windows, continues in the church on Monday at 7.30pm. The rector will explore the theology and meaning of ancient church windows and artefacts, and their relevance in the 21st century. On Wednesday, there is a midweek Holy Communion at 10.45am, with the rector and curate, the Rev Heather Coulton; at 2pm members of the Mothers’ Union from around the district will attend the annual Lady Day service, and, at 7.30pm, Holy Trinity’s Women’s Fellowship will meet.

Fine arts: The March lecture was entitled Creating a Splash: The St Ives Society of Artists’ The First 25 Years. The speaker was David Tovey, who gave a history of the society from about the mid 1880s to 1945 describing how the society was able to expand with noted artists being members. He showed early works which were full of the effects of light, influenced by the light reflecting on the sea, and often painted in the open air. Lovely landscapes, seascapes, harbour scenes, were shown, and many of these can be seen in local galleries such as Leeds City Art Gallery. Mr Tovey has written several books on the St Ives Society of Artists and two of these were given as raffle prizes.

Retired Men’s Forum: John Gilleghan gave a slide show entitled New Zealand Panorama during which he discussed the history and geography of the country. Next week will be the annual general meeting, which will be followed by the ladies’ lunch at the Craven Heifer, on Grassington Road, when the speaker will be Stuart Powell.

Steeton Coffee morning: Steeton Over 50s Group will hold a coffee morning on Saturday from 10am to noon at the Methodist Church. There will be a cake stall, a book stall, bric-a-brac and a raffle. Proceeds will go to Airedale Hospital’s A & E Department and Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

Methodist Church: Steeton Methodist Church’s Evening Fellowship will meet on Wednesday at 7.30pm in the foyer, when the Rev Rosemary Nash will bring along Rosemary’s Puppets. If this is as entertaining as her Gospel Magic, it will be an evening not to be missed. The 10.30am service on Sunday will be led by Terry O’Shaughnessy. There is a Junior Church every week at the same time as the service.

Sutton-in-Craven Mothers’ Union: A coffee morning, with raffle and cake and book stalls, will be held at the North Street Community Centre on Saturday from 10am to 11.30am. Everyone is welcome.

Tea dances: Tea dances are held in Sutton Village Hall every Thursday afternoon at 1.45pm. Admission is £2, which includes refreshments.

Thornton-in-Lonsdale Paula Kendall, 015242 42390, Rosemary Hartley, 015242 42207 Church speakers: St Oswald’s will welcome guest Lent speakers at each Sunday service between now and Easter day. The services begin at 9.30am. The speakers are Dr George Nasmyth this Sunday, Admiral Sir John Kerr next Sunday, March 29, and Archdeacon Paul Slater on Sunday, April 5. All are welcome.

Lent studies: Joint evangelical midweek Lent studies will be held on Wednesday at Westhouse Village Hall. The sessions will start at 7.30pm and will be led by Dr Sheila Hunter and Dr Glyn Price.

Coffee morning: A fundraising coffee morning will be held at St Oswald’s Church on Wednesday, April 8, from 10.30am to noon.

Tosside Hall events: Alan Cookson will provide music at tomorrow’s dance in the community hall at 8pm. Admission is £6, which includes a plated supper. The monthly whist and dominoes will take place on Saturday at 7.30pm. The Grand Choir from Clitheroe will make its first performance at the community hall on Sunday at 2.30pm. Admission is £4, which includes tea and biscuits.

Village website: Take a look at the new website, mytossidecommunity.org Upper Wharfedale Sheila Denby, 01756 752605 Lent lunch: Jennifer and Ian Cuthbert will host the next Lent lunch event at their Kettlewell home, The Elms, tomorrow. Soup, bread and cheese, tea or coffee, will be served from 12.30pm. All donations will go to the Ebola Appeal.

Safari supper: The social committee of St Mary’s Churches in Kettlewell and Conistone is looking for venues for the annual Safari Supper in May/June. Anyone willing to offer their home for the purpose should contact Sue Nelson.

Mobile library: The Supermobile Library will visit Upper Wharfedale on Wednesday. It will be at Buckden car park from 10.30am to 12.30pm and at Kettlewell’s national park car park from 2pm to 4pm.

Bridge Club: Kettlewell Bridge Club will meet in the social room of Kettlewell Village Hall on Tuesday, March 31, at 7pm. New members and visitors are welcome. Contact Bob Sayles on 01756 751787.

Indoor bowls: The regular indoor bowls sessions in Kettlewell Village Hall will finish at the end of March and resume later in the year.

Church talk: The Friends of St Michael’s Church, Linton, will hold a talk and supper tomorrow at 7.30pm at Church House, Grassington. Alan Stockdale will present an illustrated talk about old Burnsall and surroundings, using screen photos from glass slides that are over 100 years old. Tickets cost £6 and are available from Bryan Pearson on 01756 752458 or Pat Haslam on 01756 751861.

Presentation night: Cracoe Cricket Club members held a social night at the Devonshire Arms where trophies were presented by club chairman, Tim Wilman. This year, Bordley received the trophy for its success in the inter-village cup. The Dales League Team won the Butterfield Cup and individual awards were presented to Tom Carlisle for fielding, Dan Benson for bowling, and Chris Baines for batting.

Family history: The next meeting of the Wharfedale Family History Group will take place at 2.30pm on Saturday at the Threshfield Village Institute. Sue McGeever will talk about Hats and Huts, YMCA Ladies of World War One. Members and non-members are welcome.

Wigglesworth Community Centre: Zumba will take place tonight at 7.30pm. The centre is organising a big clean-up at the hall on Saturday from 9.30am. Volunteers are needed to repair, clean and smarten up the ground and hall itself. If you can’t make Saturday, there are many jobs that can be done at any time to suit. The craft group will meet on Monday at 7.30pm and there is a whist and dominoes session on Wednesday at 7.30pm. Next Saturday, March 28, there will be a coffee morning selling cakes and cards in aid of the Air Ambulance service. It will run from 10am to 1pm.